The manmade pond on my place is about 40 years old. It's 2 acres, spring fed, and it's a good mile from the overflow to the little river it drains into. Over the course of that 40 years beavers have gotten into the pond about 3 times that I'm aware of, most recently in 2011. However there were never any muskrats...until last year. I noticed there dens collapsing around about 10' from the water in one of my food plots near the shallow end. Then saw them swimming several times in the fall. The pond froze up for a spell in winter and there were bubbles under the ice in the shallow portion of the pond.

This year again I saw a rat swimming a couple months ago. Last week the pond froze up briefly and there were bubbles under the ice only on the shallow end. By the time I saw it the ice was melted around the edge, so I couldn't see where they were going into bank dens. A couple weeks ago I put a float out near where the spring comes into the pond, the part of the pond they use, and baited with apples, carrots and muskrat lure...the whole thing went untouched which I thought at least the birds would go for it. Also submerged a 220 right where that stream come into the pond and that did not produce either.

I am not a rat trapper and don't pretend to be. The only rats I have caught on purpose was blocking off channels with a 220. I have caught them in coon pockets and beaver bottom edge 330s as well.

The bank of this pond is overgrown with big woody bushes along the side where they are active. Due to all the rain the water is high...there is no mudline around the edge. I want to get these rats out. I am thinking of doing a couple pocket sets right at the waterline in the area they are active. I have several lures...would they be useful in these pockets? Should I bait with apples and carrots or something else? Is fish oil a good attract for them? What about slicking up the bank like a beaver slide?

Any guidance is much appreciated!

Rats love to go into den holes, make some sets at the water line that look like den holes with a trap just under the water in front of the holes.

If you can catch them in farm ponds using baited and lured sets your doing good! Been trying religiously for 7 years and still not a one! So I go back to old reliable 110s in bank dens .Or colony traps in well used runs. I'm not certain but I think population density affects there desire to work baited floats. Most farm ponds aren't considered border line over populated so food isn't a major issue.

Walk the edge of the pond and look for worn down spot of the shore that will show you where there den is.That is the spot that stand out the best from the rest of the shore line. Also check for channels that looks to be in the water some will not be worn down but for the time you said that it been that way you should see some. If there is weeds along the shore look in there for channels and might have some feed beds if there is no ice that might be.Or if there is ice but you see the feed beds look for where the channel is that go to them to the shore line. I use 110 mainly for all the places that show some sign and go from there. I have a farm pond that I trap and took out all the rats for the way I stated It works for me. if it is just open water I set on the feed beds or make fake feed beds and use foothold traps.Make sure you wire your traps no matter what type of trap to a stake or something solid. That way you will know where the trap is if you get something. you do not know at time will get in your trap mainly footholds. and mink will give a fight also in a 110 more then a rat will.

Trapping pond rats just is a pain. Two rats can give the impression on 30 until you have ice.

Yeah, almost always looks like there are more rats in pond then what is really there. I like to set them after some skim ice, so I know for sure what is active. I have seen exceptions, but generally, don't get too excited by all the sign, just set the deepest holes and runs.

The small pond I had trap this season I got 15 and clean them out and that was about the same amount I got out of the same pond last season. You do not know how many till you done . The only differents this season is that there was 2 beavers that had move in also that I took out also.

I have no idea how many are in the pond, I doubt many...I have only seen one at a time. If not seeing them, and under ice bubbles, and the cave-ins up off the bank, I wouldn't know they're there. I have not seen any runs. the water is not deep, but drops of quickly from the bank. The water level is high due to rain. Maybe I just don't know what to look for.

The last couple years the pond has had heavy algae cover in the summer. It is green and beady. Now there is just a little around the banks. Last year ducks were drawn to this heavily...haven't seen any this year. I did see a muskrat chasing a duck around the pond one day last year, trying to defend his food I guess.

A couple of rats can leave a lot of sign. That being said you probably have a handful of rats in there, but you never really know until you try trapping them.

If you have time I would do some more scouting and experiment with a few sets. If you can find a bank hole, it is a great spot to cover with a body-gripper.

Not sure of the contour/terrain around your pond, but if your bank supports it, a pocket set or two could produce fur. A pocket will help you pick up any coon or mink that may be prowling around as well. I think the hole and fresh mud at a pocket is really the draw as rats have been caught on them baited with about anything you can think of.

Poke around the banks and you may find a rat toilet or two, especially around points, clumps of weeds, or stumps/logs. Sometimes the toilets will just be found in random areas as well. Let the rats tell you where they want to be and put a trap there.

Are there any culverts coming into the pond? If you have one with a little water in the entrance try guarding it with a foothold in the corner. If you have an elevated culvert that has flowing water spilling down into the pond a good set can be made up under the culvert by placing a trap right where the water and bank come together. I learned this set from Don Powell. I didn't have much luck with it on mink but found it works pretty good on rats. I guess they just like crawling up under the culvert for a bit of shelter.

If all else fails you can slick up a spot on the bank and make a fake slide of sorts. A little dab of rat lure on your slide can help draw them in.

If you are going to put traps back there I would recommend putting a body gripper back where that stream enters your pond. If you are in the area checking traps you might as well. Sooner or later a rat is bound to shoot up through there.

Several good lures on the markets. Personally, I have found something with a little cherry smell to work pretty well. I like carrots for bait when I use them, as they are durable, easy to carry, and most importantly they work. Apples work as well. Personally though, I will take a good rat run, slide or den hole over a lured set for muskrats any day.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

110's and colonies been mentioned that Ive had success with AND
stools baited with parsnip/carrot
Make sure to wire bait to nail or they pull it off before stepping onto trap

All of this is good advice. It's tough to catch 1 or 2 of anything if they are the only thing there but you have to find fresh sign

I would try making a run going into the water. They willget curious

So here's an update of sorts. I have not put any sets yet, with the constant rain and freeze thaw I decided just to watch a bit longer. A few days ago I found a softball size hole in the ground about 10-12 feet up from the water line. Could walk right by without noticing. I figure it's an airhole of some kind.

Finally last night the pond froze up to the shoreline. So this morning I could see a couple of bubble trails under the ice....about 10' out in the water. They both came into the bank on either side of a bush that is directly in front of that air hole (if that's what it is). So I guess I know where their den is now. I will but a couple of bodygrippers there this weekend, and maybe a pocket and a slide.

Sounds like you are on to them. Good luck and keep us posted.

Here's the update on this. I set up the bank den I found a little over a week ago. I found 3 entrances, from 1' to 2'+ underwater. I set 160's in front of them. There maybe another entrance I didn't find. The growth is thick around the bank, and overhangs the water, and the bank under water drops off steeply. The traps are still out but I never caught anything in those. That night the temperature plummeted and the pond froze solid most of the week.

The day after I set those traps, I went and checkout an old beaver bank den on the pond dam. I found a small entrance hole going in to that, and but a 160 in front of that. The next morning I had a muskrat going into that under the ice. I reset. There's a three day check for underwater bodygrippers and when I check again a couple days later, I had another. Nothing else since.

I suspect there are more rats in the pond, but I'm not sure where they are staying. The bubble trails are always on the opposite side of the pond from where I caught these. Everything has thawed out the last couple of days, but when it freezes back over I will check for fresh bubble activity.

I the same situation as you in finding exactly where they are lodging. So I make them come to me. A simple dirt mound . put a leg hold under the water with said mound with a bit of lure on it. If you carve a run going from the mound with the trap over it. You will be collecting the rat the next morning. Its a curiosity to them. Another option is a fresh pocket set.

Baited sets under the ice